Water Leak Snarls Traffic At Busy Intersection

June 12, 1999|By SHAUNA JAMIESON Staff Writer

A small leak in a Fort Lauderdale utility water main beneath the intersection of Oakland Park Boulevard and Powerline Road created massive problems for motorists using the two major thoroughfares all day Friday. It was expected to keep lanes closed until Sunday.

Workers closed eastbound lanes on Oakland Park Boulevard and southbound lanes on Powerline Road at about 10 p.m. Thursday, and worked through the night hunting the source of a pool of water that had seeped up and settled in the intersection.

They found the leak in a joint that connected three transmission mains, said Mike Bailey, a manager for Fort Lauderdale's Public Service Department. The pipe break happened at the border of Oakland Park and Wilton Manors, near Interstate 95.

"It's a very small leak," Bailey said.

But 18 hours after workers shut down parts of the intersection, they still had not started repairs because they could not locate the valves to shut off the water supply.

"We've had some valves that we needed to find that were paved over," Bailey said late Friday afternoon. "We finally found them, and they're still trying to shut it down; I don't have a good feel for when it's going to be done."

Meanwhile, motorists grew frustrated as a typically quick ride through town slowed to a stop-and-go crawl. Some complained to Oakland Park City Hall.

Water supply to homes and businesses was not affected.

The pipes that were leaking had been installed in 1963.

"Leaks like this are bound to happen, especially with the pipe this old," Bailey said, "but it's certainly not a chronic problem that we expect to see occurring all over the place."